diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index aba4faa..7e23664 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -1814,31 +1814,22 @@
 	}
 }
 
-// API signature file names sorted from
-// the narrowest api scope to the widest api scope
-var scopeOrderedSourceFileNames = allApiScopes.Strings(
-	func(s *apiScope) string { return s.apiFilePrefix + "current.txt" })
+// Map where key is the api scope name and value is the int value
+// representing the order of the api scope, narrowest to the widest
+var scopeOrderMap = allApiScopes.MapToIndex(
+	func(s *apiScope) string { return s.name })
 
-func (al *ApiLibrary) sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx android.ModuleContext, srcFilesInfo []JavaApiImportInfo) android.Paths {
-	var sortedSrcFiles android.Paths
-
-	for i, apiScope := range allApiScopes {
-		for _, srcFileInfo := range srcFilesInfo {
-			if srcFileInfo.ApiFile.Base() == scopeOrderedSourceFileNames[i] || srcFileInfo.ApiSurface == apiScope.name {
-				sortedSrcFiles = append(sortedSrcFiles, android.PathForSource(ctx, srcFileInfo.ApiFile.String()))
-			}
+func (al *ApiLibrary) sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx android.ModuleContext, srcFilesInfo []JavaApiImportInfo) []JavaApiImportInfo {
+	for _, srcFileInfo := range srcFilesInfo {
+		if srcFileInfo.ApiSurface == "" {
+			ctx.ModuleErrorf("Api surface not defined for the associated api file %s", srcFileInfo.ApiFile)
 		}
 	}
+	sort.Slice(srcFilesInfo, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return scopeOrderMap[srcFilesInfo[i].ApiSurface] < scopeOrderMap[srcFilesInfo[j].ApiSurface]
+	})
 
-	if len(srcFilesInfo) != len(sortedSrcFiles) {
-		var srcFiles android.Paths
-		for _, srcFileInfo := range srcFilesInfo {
-			srcFiles = append(srcFiles, srcFileInfo.ApiFile)
-		}
-		ctx.ModuleErrorf("Unrecognizable source file found within %s", srcFiles)
-	}
-
-	return sortedSrcFiles
+	return srcFilesInfo
 }
 
 func (al *ApiLibrary) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx android.ModuleContext) {
@@ -1881,7 +1872,11 @@
 		}
 	})
 
-	srcFiles := al.sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx, srcFilesInfo)
+	srcFilesInfo = al.sortApiFilesByApiScope(ctx, srcFilesInfo)
+	var srcFiles android.Paths
+	for _, srcFileInfo := range srcFilesInfo {
+		srcFiles = append(srcFiles, android.PathForSource(ctx, srcFileInfo.ApiFile.String()))
+	}
 
 	if srcFiles == nil && !ctx.Config().AllowMissingDependencies() {
 		ctx.ModuleErrorf("Error: %s has an empty api file.", ctx.ModuleName())
diff --git a/java/java_test.go b/java/java_test.go
index ec6be5c..b555a95 100644
--- a/java/java_test.go
+++ b/java/java_test.go
@@ -2398,3 +2398,30 @@
 	sourceFilesFlag := "--source-files current.txt"
 	android.AssertStringDoesContain(t, "source text files not present", manifestCommand, sourceFilesFlag)
 }
+
+func TestJavaApiLibraryApiFilesSorting(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, _ := testJava(t, `
+		java_api_library {
+			name: "foo",
+			api_contributions: [
+				"system-server-api-stubs-docs-non-updatable.api.contribution",
+				"test-api-stubs-docs-non-updatable.api.contribution",
+				"system-api-stubs-docs-non-updatable.api.contribution",
+				"module-lib-api-stubs-docs-non-updatable.api.contribution",
+				"api-stubs-docs-non-updatable.api.contribution",
+			],
+		}
+	`)
+	m := ctx.ModuleForTests("foo", "android_common")
+	manifest := m.Output("metalava.sbox.textproto")
+	sboxProto := android.RuleBuilderSboxProtoForTests(t, manifest)
+	manifestCommand := sboxProto.Commands[0].GetCommand()
+
+	// Api files are sorted from the narrowest api scope to the widest api scope.
+	// test api and module lib api surface do not have subset/superset relationship,
+	// but they will never be passed as inputs at the same time.
+	sourceFilesFlag := "--source-files default/java/api/current.txt " +
+		"default/java/api/system-current.txt default/java/api/test-current.txt " +
+		"default/java/api/module-lib-current.txt default/java/api/system-server-current.txt"
+	android.AssertStringDoesContain(t, "source text files not in api scope order", manifestCommand, sourceFilesFlag)
+}
diff --git a/java/sdk_library.go b/java/sdk_library.go
index 6349d92..282379c 100644
--- a/java/sdk_library.go
+++ b/java/sdk_library.go
@@ -286,6 +286,17 @@
 	return list
 }
 
+// Method that maps the apiScopes properties to the index of each apiScopes elements.
+// apiScopes property to be used as the key can be specified with the input accessor.
+// Only a string property of apiScope can be used as the key of the map.
+func (scopes apiScopes) MapToIndex(accessor func(*apiScope) string) map[string]int {
+	ret := make(map[string]int)
+	for i, scope := range scopes {
+		ret[accessor(scope)] = i
+	}
+	return ret
+}
+
 var (
 	scopeByName    = make(map[string]*apiScope)
 	allScopeNames  []string